Method of and apparatus for annealing glassware



T. WARDLEY METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR ANNEALING GLASSWARE Filed Dec.

Arug. 25, 1931.

Ai'ornqys.

Patented Aug. 25, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT ori-ics COMPANY, F HARTFORD, CONNECTI CUT, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE METHOD 0F ANI) APPARATUS FOR ANNEALING GLASSWARE Application. filed December 17,-1930, Serial No. 503,012, and in Great Britain .Tune 5, 1980.

This invention relates to methods of, and apparatus for, annealing glassware and has particular relation to a method and apparatus of the general character disclosed in the patent to Mulholland No. 1,560,481, granted Nov. 3, 1925.

In the employment of the apparatus or lehr disclosed in the above patent, the glassware is carried by an endless conveyor 1o through the lehr tunnel, wherein it is first subjected to a relatively high temperature to relieve the strains therein, and subsequently is gradually cooled as the ware approaches the exit end of the tunnel. The tunnel is indirectly heated by a plurality of flues passing longitudinally therebeneath and to which hot gases of combustion are supplied from a tire box located beneath the forward portion of the lehr. The hot gases are drawn through the lues by means of a suction fan which fan also may serve to draw cooling air through a cooling flue extending longitudinally above the tunnel.

Heat is generated in the fire box by means of a burner located at one side thereof and discharging a flame into the interior thereof.

It is the general object of the present invention to provide an improved method of novel character, and novel apparatus for supplying the hot gases of combustion to and distributing them in a lehr of the above character. In the above-described construction and in similar constructions, there is a strong tendency for the products of combustion to' travel through the irebox and into and through the iues in such a manner that the heating of the tunnel is nonuniform. This is particularly true where oil is used as the heating medium. Thus, one side of the tunnel may be hotter than the other and the ware. which passes through that portion of the lehr may be overheated to such an extent that imperfect annealing will result. Without special provision, its is practically im# possible to, control such non-uniform distribution of heat. On the other hand, Where different types of ware are being annealed at the same time, that is, ware of varying,

weight and/or thickness, the ware requiring the. least heat may be overhcated, and the ware requiring the most heat may not be heated suiiiciently, for proper annealing. This also is due to the factvthat the. distribution of heat in the firebox and lues cannot be sufficiently controlled.

Therefore, it is another object of the presentinvention to provide a novel method and novel apparatus whereby the lehr tunnel may be controllably heated uniformly where. only a single type of ware is being annealed, or may be controllably heated non-uniformly when a plurality of types of ware requiring non-uniform temperature conditions are being passed through the tunnel, so that in any event, the ware is subjected to the proper temperature conditions for perfect annealing.

In attainin the above-objects, a construction is provi ed which enables the combustion flame to be accurately positioned centrally of the iirebox, to insure equalization of temperature conditions within the lehr tunnel itself which is heated by the ases of combustion which flow from the fire ox into and through the tunnel heating tlues. Thus for a given type of ware, a substantiall uniform temperature oonditioli transversely of the lehr tunnel may be maintained. However, where diderent types of ware are being annealed, the combustion flame may be shifted in a horizontal plane toward one side or the other of the irebox, as a result of which one side of the lehr tunnel is appropriately heated to greater extent than the other, according to the character of the diderent types of ware passing respectively through the different parts of the tunnel.

, In order that the invention may be readily understood, reference should be had to the Y accompanying drawings in which novel apparatus for practicing the novel method is employed.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a View in vertical longitudinal section of the front end portion of a glassware annealing lehr embodying the novel apparatus of the invention;

. Fig. 2 is a view in horizontal section of the construction shown in Fig. 1 and taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view4 in transverse vertical section and rear elevation of the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and taken substantially on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a detailed View of a part of the burner operating mechanism shown more completely in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 5 designates generally a rebox having a combustion space 6 therein into which space a flame is introduced through a passageway 7 in the rear end of the iirebox. At the entrance end of the passageway 7 areyburner blocks 8 and 9 and a burner 10 which enerates the flame which is directed throug the paths in the burner blocks and the passageway 7, into the combustion chamber 6.

The hot gases of combustion generated by the burner in the lirebox, flow therefrom upwardly into the metallic ilues 12 which extend longitudinally of the lehr tunnel (not shown) and which forms the bottom thereof. Such gases are introduced into the ilues through a pair of ports or passageways 13 and 14 which lead upwardly to a throat .casting 15 having separate passageways therein, one of which is shown at 16, Fig. 1.

In the construction shown, brick work 1ndicated at 17 may be provided for blocking off the gases of combustion from the two innermost passageways (not shown) 1n the throat casting and hence from the corresponding innermost flues 12, so that the hot gases of combustion will be supplied only, to'the outermost lues to compensate for the dissipation of heat through the side walls of the lehr Fi 3) thereby equalizing the temperature con itions in the lehr tunnel. If desired, the brickwork 17 may be omitted or replaced by dampers in the passagewa s 16 for selectively controlling the passage o hot gases through the flues 12. i The hot gases of combustion conducted through the llues passes in good heat .transferring .relation to the glassware carried by an endless conveyor 18, which may be of reticulated construction and which is dragged along the top of the iiues as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

Located centrally' of the irebox and eX- tending from the bottom to the top thereof is a baille 19 which is positioned opposite the exit end of the passageway 7 and is provided with the inwardly diverging faces 20 which serve to deflect the combustion flame toward the sides of the firebox. Opening into the bottom of the iirebox between the battle 19 and the passageway 7 is an air inlet port 21 to which diluting air is supplied through a passageway 22 extending through the bottom of the rebox. The arrangement of the assageway 7, the air inlet port 21, and the baille 19, is such that uniform and complete mixture oi the diluting air with the hot gases of the burner flame will be assured.

` Considering now the operating means for the burner 10, it will be seen that the said burner is mounted upon a carriage 24 pivoted a-t 25 upon a slide 26 carried by rods 27. The rods 27 are positioned horizontally and extend across the rear or inner end of the rebox, the ends thereof passing throu h suitable supports 28 and 29 connected to t e frame work of the lehr structure.

The burner 10 being mounted for horizontal swinging movement on the slide 26, may bel given such movement by means of a worm 30 engaging. a segment gear 31 formed on the oscillatory carriage 24 for the burner. The worm 30 may be rotated'by means of rod 32 connected by means of a universal joint or knuckle 33 to the Worm 30, said rod being suitably journaled near its outer end in abracket secured to support 28 and provided with a handwheel 34 as shown. The hand wheel 34 may be provided with a pointer 35 cooperating with a scale 36 for indicating the horizontal angular position of the burner. The rod 32 also may be employed for reciprocating the slide 26 on the rod 27 to slide the burner into and out of operative position and toward and away from the side of the firebox where it may be inspected, cleaned, and repaired. This is done by removing handwheel 34 from rod 32, and pushing rod 32 inwardly out of its bracket after which the .burner support may freely be reciprocated on rods 27 by means oit the rod 32.

ln the employment of the novel apparatus above described, for carrying out the novel method of the invention, the burner 10 may be accurately positioned to direct a flame toward the center of the deilector or baille 19 which, `because of the presence of' the diverging faces 20 thereof, serves to uniformly distribute the hot ases of combustion through the irebox an through the outermost lues 12 forming the bottom ot the lehr tunnel. In other words, the hot gases' nu of combustion are supplied in equal amounts to the outlet ports 13 and 14 of the hrebox so that a substantially uniform temperature transverse to the lehr tunnel is maintained.

If, however, different types of glassware are delivered to the opposite sides of the lehr tunnel, the burner 10 may be shifted about pivot 25 to direct the combustion Haine to one side or the other, by the operation of the hand wheel 34, as a result of which the hot gases of combustion are supplied in appropriately unequal quantities to the ports 13 and 14 and to the outermost lues 12. Such distribution likewise is facilitated by the diverging faces 2() of the deflectori 19, which as will be understood, also assist in the proper mixing of the combustion lair supplied through the port 21 with the flame.

Thus it will be seen that the invention provides a novel method and novel apparatus .iat

for controlling the temperature conditions in a, lehr tunnel to secure proper annealing of the glassware delivered thereto, whether the glassware be of thesame kind' or ofdif- 5 ferent kinds.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim and to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of `annealing glassware l which:v comprises passing such glassware through the tunnel of a lehr, directing a combustion flame into a firebox associated with the lehr, conducting the hot gases of combustion from the frebox into heat transferring l relation to' the glassware passing through the lehr, and laterally shifting the combustion flame to vary controllably the heat condi` tions in 'the lehr tunnel transversely thereof according to the character of the glassware being annealed. x

2. The method of annealing glassware which comprises passing said glassware through the tunnel of a lehr, directing a combustion llame into a rebox associated with l the lehr, conducting hot gases of combustion from the firebox adjacent to the sides only of the lehr tunnel, and positioning the combustion flame relative'to the 'lrebox in such a manner as to supply' controllably unequal quantities of hot gases of combustion to the sides of the lehr tunnel.

3. Apparatus for annealing glassware vcomprlslng a therewith, a passageway formed in said lire- 85 box, a burner for directing a combustion flame through said passageway into said firebox, means for oscillatin horizontal plane to shi the combustion llame to one side or thefother of the firebox,

40 a lurality of flues extending longitudinally o the lehr, passageways connecting the interior of the firebox to said ilues, and a dellector located in said irebox opposite the inner end of said passageway for directing said combustion llame intoA said passageways. v

4. Apparatus for annealing glassware com rising a lehr, heating lues extending long1tudinal1y of the lehr, a firebox associated withthe forward portion of said lehr, a burner for directing a flame of combustion into the irebox, to generate gases of combustion therein, passageways Y leading from the firebox to said lues,V and means for horizontally oscillating the burner to regulate the quantities of gases of combustion Y supplied to said flues through said passageways. p

5. Apparatus for annealing glassware comprising a lehr, heating flues extending `longitudinally through the said lehr, a lirebox, a burnerfor directing a llame of combustion into said Iirebox, passageways leading from said flrebox to said l'lues, a detlector positioned in said firebox against which said and means for swinging)` said support to horizontally oscillatesaid burner.

7. Apparatus for annealing glassware comprising a lehr, a irebox associated'with said lehr, a burner `for directing a flame of combustioninto said rebox, means for horizontally swin ing said burner about a pivot,

and means or' horizontally reciprocating.

said burner transversely of the firebox.

Signed atLondon England this 3rd day of December 1930. THOMAS WARDLEY.

lehr having a irebox associated l said burner in a l 

